Washing apparatuses are known for the automatic cleaning of ink-carrying rolls in a printing press, which washing apparatuses comprise spray nozzles or similar means for applying a cleaning fluid to the surface which is to be cleaned, and also comprise a doctor blade device which serves for pressing a flexible doctor blade against the surface which is wetted with the washing fluid, and thus for wiping off the washing fluid together with ink which is dissolved in it. The ink solution which is obtained in this way runs off into a trough of the doctor blade device and is led away via the latter. After the end of the washing process, ink residues remain on a conventional doctor blade device of this type, which ink residues have to be removed by hand, as they would otherwise dry on the doctor blade and damage the surface of the roll to be cleaned when said doctor blade is used again.
The invention is based on the aim of providing a doctor blade device.